The habitat of the toad. Toad - Description and Characteristics. What is the difference between the toad from the frog? Breeding ordinary zead

Toad, or real toad, refers to the class of amphibians, the detachment of taper, the family of the toad (Bufonidae). The family of the toad and frogs are sometimes confused. There are even languages \u200b\u200bin which one name is used to determine these amphibians.

Toad - Description and Characteristics. What is the difference between the toad from the frog?

The toads have a slightly indiscriminate torso with a rather large head and expressly pronounced by the eyes. The upper jaw of the wide mouth is devoid of teeth. The eyes are big with horizontally positioned pupils. The fingers of the front and rear limbs located on the sides of the body are connected by swimming pools. Some ask a question why the frog jumps, and the toad just goes. The fact is that the rear limbs of the toad are rather short, so they are slow, not so jumping like frogs, and badly float. But by the lightning movement of the language they grab the flying past insects. Unlike the toad, the skin frog smooth and needs moisture, so the frog spends all his time in water or next to it. The skin of the toad is dry dry, buried, does not require constant moisturizing and completely covered with warts.

Poisonous glands of toad are on her back. They distinguish a mucus that causes unpleasant burning, but does not cause much harm to people. Toad is amphibian, painted in gray, brown or black with spotted shades divorces, easily hides from enemies. The bright color of the toad testifies to her poisonousness.

The size of the toad ranges from 25 mm to 53 cm, and the weight of large individuals can be more kilogram. Their average life expectancy is in the limit of 25-35 years, individual individuals are waiting for up to 40 years.

Types of toad, titles and photos

The Zeb family has 579 species distributed per 40 childbirth, of which only the third part lives on the territory of Eurasia. In the CIS countries, 6 species of BUFO are common:

gray or ordinary toad;
green toad;
far Eastern toad;
caucasian toad;
reed or stinking toad;
mongolian toad.

Below you will find a more detailed description of these toads.

Ordinary toad (gray toad) (BUFO BUFO.)

one of the largest representatives of the family. A wide, squatful torso of ordinary toad can be painted in a wide variety of colors - from gray and olive to dark terracotta and brown. The eyes of this kind of toads are bright orange, with horizontally located pupils. The secret to the skin is absolutely not poisoned for humans. Ordinary toad lives in Russia, Europe, as well as in Northwestern countries in Africa. The toad lives almost everywhere, preferring at the same time to settle in dry zones of forest-steppes and forests, often occurs in the territories of parks or recently rugged fields.

(Bufo viridis)

This type of toad has a grayish-olive color, supplemented by large stains of a dark green tone, bordered black stripe. Such a "camouflage" color is an excellent disguise from enemies. The skin of green toads is distinguished by a toxic substance, dangerous for her enemies. The hind limbs are long, but developed pretty weak, so the toad is rarely jumping, preferring to move a slow walk. This kind of toad lives in South and Central Europe, North Africa, Front, Central and Central Asia, is found in the Volga region. More southern looks than gray toad, in the north of Russia comes only to the Vologda and Kirov regions. To stay, the green toad chooses outdoor places - meadows, overgrown with low grass field, river floats.

Far Eastern toad (Bufo Gargarizans.)

Representatives of this species may have a different body color - from dark gray to olive with a brownish tint. On the skin growth of the Far Eastern toad there are small spikes, the upper part of the body decorate the spectacular longitudinal strips, the abdomen is always lighter, usually without a pattern, less often - covered with small spots. The female toad Far Eastern always larger than the male, has a wider head. The area of \u200b\u200bdistribution is quite wide: the toad of this species dwells in China and Korea, inhabiting the territory of the Far East and Sakhalin, is found in Transbaikalia. Prefers to settle in wet places - in shady forests, on the filled meadows, in river floats.

Caucasian (Kolkhida) toad (BUFO VERRUCOSISSIMUS.)

the largest amphibian size, which is found in Russia, can reach 12.5 cm. Skin color or dark gray or light brown. The individuals who have not reached puberty have a pale orange color. The habitat of toad covers only the regions of the Western Caucasus. Inhabits the Collid toad forest areas of the mountains and foothills, less often meets in wet caves.

Reed or stinking toad ( BUFO CALAMITA.)

pretty large amphibian up to 8 cm long, body color varies from gray-olive to brown or brown-sand, with stains of green, belly - grayish-white. Along the backrest of reed toad, a narrow strip of yellow shade passes. The skin is buggy, but there are no spines on growths. The males strongly developed a throat resonator. The representative of this type of toad lives in Europe: in its northern and eastern parts, the distribution area includes the UK, the Southern Territories of Sweden, Baltic States. Reed toad is found in Belarus, in Western Ukraine, in the Kaliningrad region of Russia. The place of residence of the toad chooses the shores of water bodies, swampy lowlands, shady and wet bombards of shrubs.

(Bufo Raddei.)

The body of this toad is slightly flattened, with a rounded, slightly pointed in the front of the head, can reach 9 cm. The eyes are very convex. The skin of the Mongolian toad is covered with a huge number of warts, in females they are smooth, and here the males are often covered with spiny spikes. Coloring of type varied: There are individuals of light gray, golden-beige or saturated brown. The specks of various geometry form a spectacular pattern on the back of the toad, in the middle of the back there is a clearly pronounced light strip. The abdomen is a grayish or pale yellow shade, without spots. The habitat of Mongolian toad chooses South Siberia (found on the coast of Baikal, in the territory of the Chita region, in Buryatia), inhabit the Far East, Korea, the foothills of Tibet, China, Mongolia.

Sangered toad (Anaxyrus Terrestris.)

the view that dwells only in the southeastern states of the United States. According to the structure, it is not very different from its relatives, the only characteristic sign of the eyecoofing toad is pretty high ridges located longitudinally on the head and forming large swolves from behind the eyes of amphibian. In length, some individuals reaches 11 cm, the skin color covered with many warts can vary from dark brown and bright green to brown, grayish or yellow. By the way, the warts growing are always either darker, or the brighter of the main colors, so the colors of the toad looks very motley. Amphibian prefers to settle on light and dry sandstones with rare floral cover. Often chooses semi-desert terrain for habitat, sometimes settled near the housing of man.

Sparkling toad (Anaxyrus Debilis.)

The length of the body of these amphibians reaches 3.5-3.7 cm, and the females are always larger than males. The basic tone of the color of the toad is green or slightly yellowish, brown-black spots are superimposed on top of the dominant colors, the abdomen of cream shade, the skin on the throat is black in males and whitening in the opposite sex features. The skin of the toad is covered with warts. The tasty of the cricket toad has the lower part of the Taurus black, with the impressions of golden sequins. Skirchka toad lives in Mexico and some US states - in Texas, Arizona, Kansas and Colorado.

Toad Blomberg (Bufo Blombergi.)

the biggest toad in the world. It is larger than the toad yeah. The dimensions of the toad blomberg are really impressive: the length of the body of a half-armed individual often reaches 24-25 centimeters. From the mid-20th century, the clumsy and completely harmless toad of Blomberg, unfortunately, is almost on the verge of extinction. This "gigantsha" in the tropics of Colombia and along the coast of the Pacific Ocean (in Colombia and Ecuador).

Toad splashes Kihansi (Nectophrynoides Asperginis.)

the smallest toad in the world. The size of the toad does not exceed the dimensions of the coin five rubles. The length of the adult female is 2.9 cm, the length of the male does not exceed 1.9 cm. Previously, this kind of toad was distributed in Tanzania in the territory of 2 hectare at the foot of the Kihansi River Waterfall. Today, the toad Kihansi is on the verge of a complete disappearance and in the natural habitat is practically not found. All this happened due to the construction of the dam on the river in 1999, which by 90% restricted the flow of water into the natural habitat of these amphibians. Currently, Kihansi's toads live only in zoos.

Where dwells toad?

Due to the variety of species, the distribution of these amphibians is very wide. After in Australia, the population of the poisonous toad Agi was artificially created, this list does not include Antarctica.

Geographical zones in which the toads live are very diverse: from the wetlands and floodplain meadows to the steppes and arid deserts. Toads are earthly residents and enter the water only for throwing caviar. We prefer a single lifestyle and are collected in groups only in the marriage period and in places with an abrasiveness of feed.

Reproduction of Zhab

In the marriage season, which in a temperate climate begins in the spring, and in the tropical climate - in the rainy season, the individuals of both sexes are collected near the reservoirs. To attract females of male toads with the help of a special resonator, located behind the ears or on the throat, makes peculiar sounds. Having rummaged on the back of the sophisticated female, he fertilizes the caviar postponed by it. The laying has the appearance of two cords and contains up to 7 thousand eggs. After you, adult individuals leave the reservoir and are located on its shores.

Depending on the species, on time, hesitating from 5 days to 2 months, the larvae appear, turning first in tailed tadpoles, and then into young eradicated individuals. In puberty they reach the next year. Some kinds of toads common in Africa are vivy. They are on the verge of extinction and therefore are listed in the Red Book.

Dilution of the toad house

Recently, it has become fashionable to keep amphibians. For their comfortable content, special terrariums are used. They are put in the secluded corners of the apartment, avoiding direct rays of the sun and away from the source of loud sounds. Periodically in terrariums it is necessary to clean up. In the hands of these "home" pets should be taken, only putting the gloves. Any living insects are suitable for the toads. Some kinds of toads are quickly tamed and even take food from the hands of a caring owner.

In the appearance of offspring, some varieties of the toad are maximally involved by dad-male: a representative of one of the types of Zabs living in Europe, the "father" of the future family sits in an earthen hole with the hooks wound on the paws until the tadpoles begin to hatch .
The myth that the toad can "give up" warts, absolutely unreal! Even taking her in hand, you are not risking anything: all the toads, except for Agi, are completely safe.
Because of its voraciousness and active "hatred" to mosquitoes, slugs, flies and them like insects, in some countries, the toad is bred specifically to use in the future to combat the annoying pests of garden and garden crops.

While working in the garden, it is often possible to stumble upon frogs unexpectedly jumping out of the greenery or hardly crawling important and clumsy toads. Many of these animals are disgusted. Meanwhile, it should be remembered that there is also the benefit from frogs. They are tireless hunters on all sorts of small pests, bringing invaluable benefits.

The information in the article will be closer to familiarize themselves with the vital activity of these animals, maybe many will even imbued with some sympathy to these interesting creatures.

Before learning than the frog feeds, imagine its description.

General information about the toads and frogs: differences

Toads and frogs - pacified amphibians, conductive life in water and on Earth. Even when leaving the water, the animals are very much from her depend. In addition to the pulmonary, they have both active skin breathing, which allows amphibians to be under water for a longer time. But dry air and a long stay under the rays of the Sun have a disgraceful effect on them.

What feeds the frog? You can find out just below in the article.

Frogs and toads are close relatives. Their difference is that the frogs are smoother, long strong rear legs have a well-developed refill between the fingers. All this helps frogs to jump well and quickly swim. And the toads are dry skin covered with "warts", their paws are weak and short, allowing you to move only to turning or short jumps. Between the fingers, the membrane is not developed, in connection with which they float badly, and less time is carried out in water (in fact only during the reproduction period).

In structure and appearance it is difficult to determine how the frog feeds, but you can assume. It has a flat back and head, and her eyes often protrude over the aqueous surface as bubbles of fluid without giving the animal himself. Paws are rear - strong, as a spring, and the front, arranged as palms, grabbing. The jaws of the frog are sewn with sharp small inwards inwards. In wide pasta there is a sticky tongue. Comparing all of the above external signs, it can be assumed than a frog feeds - mostly with small water inhabitants.

Spread

This family (real frogs) belongs to the detachment of elderly amphibians. The composition of the last numerous, here includes 32 kinds and about 400 species. Most of them are the inhabitants of the jungle (wet tropics).

The largest of the amphibians of the taped - frog-Goliath (3 kilograms), inhabiting the coast of the Republic of Cameroon in Africa. Most recently, the smallest frog was found in New Guinea - the size of a nail maiden.

In the middle lane, Russia mainly live the varieties of gray and ordinary toads. They are widespread in Russia to Sakhalin, as well as throughout Europe and Africa (North-West).

Most of these amphibians has a modest imperceptible color, but some outfit can be quite bright, especially for poisonous species that live mostly in the tropics.

Types of frogs and toad

Before finding out how frogs in the reservoir eat, as well as in other natural and homework, consider the most common varieties of these amphibians. Their life (toads and frogs) is closely related to water, however, there are species that are in adulthood mostly live and hunt only on land.

In the middle strip of Russia, 4 types of frogs live: lake, pond, herbal, butoring. The first two species have a green color, the second is closer to brown.

Among the inhabitants of Russia are more commonly encouraging and herbal. The first possesses the protective color, allowing it to be imperceptible on earth, but it is much less herbal in size. The second has a gray-brown or brown back with spots of different colors, and the belly most of it is bright with dark stains.

In the territories of Siberia, except herbal frog, lives and Siberian. A distinctive feature of her - pink stains on the brown pryer.

Among the toad are the most common are 2 types:

ordinary, or gray, with a back of dark brown color;
green, with green large stains on a light gray back.

Features of nutrition

All types of foul frogs in extracting feed. What feeds the frog? It is known that the frog of herbal for the entire summer period eats about 1300 insects - pests of gardens and gardens. And Ostromorda expects many pests, including stinky bedbugs and beetles who even face birds.

As a rule, frogs are mined in the afternoon, and the toads destroy the pests mostly at night and at dusk.

What feeds the frog and how does it do it? They, like the toads, animals insectivores. The teeth have frogs only on the upper jaw, and the toads do not have them at all, so there is nothing to bite them into pieces of food. In connection with these peculiarities of food, frogs and toads are swallowed entirely. His mining they catch with their original language - long, strong and split at the end. It is lightningly thrown out of his mouth in the direction of the victim, and then, due to the fact that he is sticky, back returned with adhesive prey.

Another curious fact is that food is food in the esophagus thanks to the eyes. When blinking eyes plunge into the esophagus, pushing food into the esophagus.

Beautiful appetite have toads. The main food for them is invertebrate animals: worms, insects, bugs, spiders, caterpillars, mollusks, and so on. More than half (60%) of all insects eating insects are pests of agricultural land. Also these animals feed with slugs. Many gardeners are watching on the berries of strawberries unpleasant slugs, which are usually hiding in the afternoon in wet earth, and by evening they come out to eat soft juicy fruits sweet ripe strawberries. It is very difficult to fight them. Just in this toads and are excellent assistants.

Frog adult - carnivorous animal. It feeds on a frog of mosquitoes and other types of insects. For lake petrolement are fry fish. In connection with this fish farms, considerable damage is applied. Hiding on the shallow water, the frog is waiting for the flock of fry, and waiting for them, she sharply swallows the mouth, where the flow of the water is involved in a pile of fish. Gallopastics can be in the mouth.

Putting residues are often present in the stomachs of frogs, because some of the leaves and flowers are sticking to their language, on which their mining was sitting. All this is quickly swallowed by a frog, after which it goes again behind the new food.

The larger stage in different types of frogs is very similar.

Tallastic hatched from calfs do not have the holes of the mouth. The embryonic supply of nutrients ends after seven days, when the length of them reaches 1.5 cm. During this period, the mouth breakthrough occurs, and independent feeding begins.

The main food of the headastrics are algae unicellular. Random impurities that are absorbed by the organism of the frog along with the main food - mold molds, the simplest flavored and other microorganisms.

The oral apparatus is a well-apparatus apparatus for scraping the plaque from algae and represents it a similarity of "beak", surrounded by fringe lips. The bottom has rough sources and size more top. Food the headastrics in the afternoon, being in a warm water on the shallow and off the coast, forming mass clusters (up to 10,000 pieces). Not everyone survive from them, as the larvae of frogs serve as food birds, fish and many other inhabitants of the reservoir.

Taspads turn into frogshat-segolets. They are rather voracious. In the filled state, the volume of the stomach exceeds 1/5 of the total mass.

Another curious detail - with an insufficient number of animal food in the reservoir, the headastric and winter in the stage of the larvae, postponing the transformation into a predator until spring.

Aquarium frogs

Especially popular with aquarists, a clear frog, skin separations of which have the effect of natural antiseptic, well disinfecting water. Such a frog is usually planted into an aquarium with fish, sick with any infections. However, there must be a mesh partition between them, since the frog can eat its "patients".

Usually, amphibians living in aquarium are powered by a living feed: the worms of rain, daphnia, moth, and so on. Due to the fact that in captivity the frog moves little, they have a tendency to obesity. They should be fed no more than 2 times a week. They can also eat finely chopped low-fat meat or fish.

And what do the domestic frogs feed on home? On the very first days they fit the milk milk (good and children's mixture). In the second week you can enter into the diet of the mixture of insects and herbs after a good parking in the oven or in the sun to avoid different grinding processes.

The liver of beef and small moth are introduced in the last days of metamorphosis to strengthen the body of small frogs, but all this should be grinding to the smallest size.

Conclusion

Creating an animal world, nature showed an incredible ingenuity. Amazing miracles can be attributed to both amphibians.

They came out from the world's ocean millions of years ago, but their connection with the water element was not interrupted. And their life they start in the water.

The name of these animals is well acquainted, but here is the true bowl of the toad, many are unknown. The fact is that the toads are very often confused with other fucking amphibians - frogs, gerses, garlics, quakes. In many languages, there is no clear division into the toad and frogs at all, in the Russian language, this word implies amphibians from the family of real toads and the toad-rents from the cateluct family. A total of 304 types of toad are known.

Reed toad (bufo calamita).

The general physique of the toad is typically for chicondulous amphibians. They have a large head, the torso is a bit, the limbs are located on the sides of the body and have swimming membranes between the fingers, and the tail is only with tadpoles, adult individuals are supervised. For the toad is characterized by the lack of teeth in the upper jaw. The limbs they have much shorter than the frogs, so these animals are badly jumping. On the front paws of males there are small tubercles - marriage corn, males use them to hold female during mating. In general, the toads are more freight compared to frogs, even noisy. The size of different types of these amphibians varies from 2.5 cm in Cernogood toads up to 20-27 cm in cane toad, and the mass varies from several grams to 1 kg. The toad males always smallest females.

Malay toad (bufo melanostictus).

Another distinctive feature of the toad is bearded skin and large parotid glands - parotids. The skin and glands allocate the secret that not only protects the skin from drying, but also often contains poisonous substances. The degree of poisonousness of this secret in various species is different: some species are almost harmless, the secret of others is unpleasant to taste for predators and scares them, some species have a highly toxic secret that are fatal for vertebrates. The unattractive appearance of the chores led to the emergence of prejudice, which warts appear from touching it. There is no scientific truth in this statement, the toads cannot provoke the appearance of warts, as this infectious disease is caused by the virus. The painting of most types of zead is inevitable - brown, gray, black, often with a spotted pattern. Such painting perfectly masks the toad on the background of the earth, foliage and bottomal yals. But tropical views with a poisonous or annoying secret often have a bright color with stains of yellow, red, orange. In this case, the color plays a warning role and scares the predator before he wants to taste the victim.

American toad (Anaxyrus Americanus, or Bufo Americanus) rare white shape.

The habitat of various kinds of toad covers almost all continents, except Antarctica and Australia. However, in Australia and for many oceanic islands was brought toad aha, which successfully mastered new lands. Now we can say that there are no places on the planet where these animals are not found. The habitats of the toad are very diverse, of course, most species live in wet places - swamps, river planes, rain forests, but there are also those settled in dry areas and even deserts. In this case, the toads are hiding in crevices between stones and soil cracks. Wherever these amphibians did not live, everywhere they are associated with water bodies (at least drying), because their caviar can develop only in water.

As a rule, the toads are found one by one, but during breeding and in places of rich food they can form large clusters. In general, the toads are larger than: they are not so jumped as frogs and prefer to move awkward steps. In case of danger, the toad is saved by jumping, but often takes a special defensive pose - high rises on the legs and wounds back the hump. Interestingly, such a behavior is peculiar to the toads and does not meet their relatives - frogs.

Ordinary, or gray toad (Bufo Bufo) in a threatening pose.

However, among the tropical species, the toads are found by dexteries living on ... trees. Wood species of the toad just have a lot in common with woody frogs, their tenacious paws with suction cups on the pillows of fingers as if glued to the toad to the surface of the sheet. Another remarkable ability of these amphibians: It turns out that the toads have permanent parts of the habitat and worn over several tens of meters, always return to the beloved bodice. Toads are more active at night than during the day. Types living in a moderate belt for winter fall into anabiosis (hibernation), while the animals are clogged into secluded gaps, hide under the opal foliage and in the litter.

They feed on the toads predominantly invertebrate animals: insects and their larvae, slugs, snails, worms, less frequently fog fish. Close-up of toads can eat more impressive prey - small rodents, lizards, young snakes. Wearing your booty toad while sitting still in one place. The signals from the optic nerve they come mainly in the subcortical department of the brain, so the toads reflexively react only to the movable items, they also poorly distinguish movements in the same plane (oscillations of blades, for example).

Reed toad, or aha (bufo marinus) eats an earthen worm.

The reproduction of the toad wears seasonal character and occurs in the spring (in a temperate belt) or timed to the rainy season (in the tropics). During the marriage period, the toads are going near the reservoirs. The males attract females by special sounds that differ greatly in different species. Usually, the toads are squabble like frogs, but some species can "sing" more melodic.

Few people like amphibians: well, if a frog or toad will just cost the side, and often the animal is trying to harm! Unmotivated aggression on the part of a person can only be explained by his non-smile - it is strange to want to offend such an animal as an earthen toad, if you know about it at least a little.

Amphibian with a bad reputation

Nelyubov to the toad goes through generations. Even in the Middle Ages, these animals were treated with special contempt and fear. In all civilized countries, it was believed to touch the toad - this is true death. Moreover, the cause of death allegedly performed the poison allocated to the toak through the skin.

Also, her cunning and danger for our ancestors was that a person could become a kind of incubator for them. They explained this as: with poor or untreated water you can drink the eggs of the toad, and already in the stomach they will safely hatch and start active livelihoods. For a modern man, it sounds wildly, and earlier from such a state, they were very actively treated.

Science has proven that the toad does not represent any danger. Yes, in the case of an extreme situation, an earthy toad can release a special protective secret from the skin, but it performs, rather, a disconnect role and cause no harm.

Toad or frog: how to distinguish?

For many people, it is a fundamental question: who concretely met, whether toad frog? And although the danger does not carry none, nor the other, to distinguish them quite easily.

The toad is characterized by larger sizes: an adult individual can reach 15 centimeters in length.
The body of the toad loose, the contours are unclearly outlined. The head is quite low pressed against the ground.
The skin can have a shade from the earthly gray to dark green. It has a large number of warts, tubercles and glands.
Toad, unlike a frog, does not know how to jump. She confidently goes to the goal.

Most often, people meet amphibians on vacation or in the courtyards, where there is a constant source of moisture. So, usually the earthy toad feels perfectly perfectly in the garden - it is precisely there the daches often meet and unreasonably scared.

Life and habits

Like other amphibians, on the season of decline in the temperatures of the toad fall into hibernation. So that no one distinguished the heat expectation process, they break into the soil to the depth of 10 centimeters, hide under the rhizomes of trees and stumps and even can use abandoned rodents.

In the warm season, the activity of the toad falls on the night hours. At this time, they go to the search for food: you can often meet the toad in places lit by lanterns.

Quite interesting is the answer to the question of how earthy toads are multiplied. First of all, these animals can not do this without water: it is in the reservoire they mowed to caviar.

Caviar at the toad has a special kind - it resembles a long thin cord. Such cords are searched at the bottom of the reservoir or can be braided around algae. Sometimes the length of such cords reaches 5-8 meters!

Golobastics that appear from caviar, the first time is not shown on the surface. They live at the bottom, entering small algae and what remains of dying animals and plants. Golobastics are developing pretty quickly, and after 50-60 days, a full green or earthy toad may appear on land.

Fear or help for gardener?

What to do, if suddenly met the earthy toad in the garden or in the garden? Is it possible to touch it, does it spoil the harvest? Or maybe, will bring friends and has nowhere to hide from the toad?

In order to answer the question that they make toads in the garden or garden, you need to know what the earthy toad eat.

The main nutrition for them is insects. They do not discern caterpillars, various multi-naked, as well as snail. Toad can not scare a bright colors or an unusual type of insect. Seeing the object for breakfast, the toad is a commallion to his goal.

What is the benefit for gardener? The most straight! Earthy toad is an excellent organic way to combat pests and harvest emours. She is such a sowing Sanitary, which in the evenings goes to bypass the entrusted territory.

Therefore, having met on its path or garden this is amphibian, you do not need to be likened to medieval Europeans and run behind the "anti-tub" antidote or a pesticide. Do not beat the animal and do not stand on it: give way the road, because it goes in its important affairs, fulfilling its natural function. And the side effect of it is the benefit for a person.